Don Jr. gathers hunters to win swing states in 2024
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JOHNSON CREEK, Wisconsin — An hour west of Milwaukee, Donald Trump Jr., the NRA and a hunter advocacy group called Hunter Nation gathered at a sporting club to plot how to turn out hunters in November.
Why it matters: It's part of a larger GOP effort to mobilize less politically engaged but conservative Americans this presidential cycle.
What we're watching: "There are large populations of politically apathetic hunters" in the U.S., Don Jr. said at a luncheon at the Milford Hills Sporting Club on Monday.
- "It's the entire board: Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina and some of the Western states," he said.
- "You mobilize those groups. ... Everyone is like, 'Oh, it's over.' It's not over. It'll be over when the polls close on Nov. 5."
The big picture: Hunter Nation and the NRA are most focused on turning out voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, the three swing states that the Trump campaign is most focused on flipping.
The details: Hunter Nation board chair Rock Bordelon took a victory lap about Hunter Nation's role in helping Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry win the governorship in 2023 and flip the state for Republicans .
- "Out of the 165,000 hunters that we targeted [in Louisiana], we were able to motivate 62,600 hunters to get out and vote that either had not voted in over 50% of the elections in the prior eight years, or hadn't voted at all for any elections in the prior eight years," Bordelon said.
- NRA first vice president Bill Bachenburg said, "Make no mistake, the NRA is back and we're growing stronger. ... The synergy of NRA and Hunter Nation working together will exponentially result in getting these hunters and conservative gun owners out in November. "
- Guitarist and conservative activist Ted Nugent spoke previously and performed the Star Spangled Banner.
- Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) were also in attendance and spoke.
Between the lines: Don Jr. does not golf like his father, but he loves to go hunting and fishing, hobbies that he's passed onto his kids.
- Don Jr. is on the board of Hunter Nation and has made significant inroads with Second Amendment advocates, hunting organizations and social media influencers who focus on hunting and the outdoors.
- He also founded Field Ethos, a men's outdoor lifestyle magazine that focuses on adventure and big stories.
Another prominent group that has been targeting hunters and Second Amendment enthusiasts among other less politically engaged conservatives online is Vote4America.
- Large accounts like Vaughn NeVille, aka The Man Spot, and Zach Owen, aka Beyond the Backcountry, whose accounts usually feature Second Amendment and hunting content, respectively, have in recent weeks started to put out posts reminding their audiences to sign up to vote.
- They are among a network of 3,200 influencers that Vote4America has mapped out who will be touting the same message, albeit in their individual styles, from now until Election Day.
By the numbers: As of early July, social media consumers had watched 4.7 million minutes of Vote4America content on YouTube and listened to 3.6 million hours of podcasts with Vote4America content, and 24 million people had viewed Vote4America content on Meta, a person familiar with the group's data told Axios.
Axios' Stef Kight contributed reporting.
